READ TODAY'S STORIES AND E-EDITION SUBSCRIBE |  CONTACT US |  SIGN IN
Sports Extra!



SPORTS EXTRA BLOGS

FOR THE RECORD
LOCAL PROS

ALL SPORTS

PHOTOS & VIDEOS

OUTDOORS

FIND A STORY

EMAIL ALERTS

SOCIAL MEDIA

RSS FEEDS

CONTACT US
BUY PHOTOS & PAGES

ADVERTISE ON SPORTS EXTRA


Print story only Print story with comments Email Twitter Facebook Pinterest
Iba recipient: Notre Dame should say no to Big Ten
Published: 5/20/2010 5:48 PM
Last Modified: 5/20/2010 5:48 PM

Notre Dame should remain a football independent instead of joining the Big Ten.

Who says? Notre Dame alum Ruth Riley, who once helped the Fighting Irish win a women’s NCAA title and who now is a member of the WNBA’s San Antonio Silver Stars.

Riley visited Tulsa on Thursday when her team played the Shock (she didn’t play due to a back issue) and will return in June to be honored as the 2010 female recipient of the Henry P. Iba Citizen Athlete Award.

We talked for about 20 minutes Wednesday night for a feature piece that will be published prior to the June 14 Iba Awards ceremony and she took some off-topic questions at the end of the interview session.

For instance:

--Should Notre Dame join a football conference?

“No.”

--Why?

“Well, there are a lot of reasons. I’m not the one making the decision, but traditionally we have played a schedule where all our fans across the United States are able to watch us play and I think that’s important to Notre Dame to be able east or west and not just in a conference.... And obviously the NBC contract is a huge reason (to stay independent).”

--So, if the Big Ten offers membership, you’re declining?

“Yes, but I’m a traditionalist. I say keep it like it is.”

--In addition to playing in the WNBA, you follow the NBA pretty closely. What’s going to happen the rest of the way?

“I think it’s going to be Boston and L.A. in the finals. I think it’s going to be a close series, but I think L.A. is going to come back and win again. They are just playing so well right now across the board.”

--If you’re LeBron James, what do you do?

“I don’t know what his options are, honestly. I think he’s going to look at, and it’s going to be important to him, who else is on the team. I think those are questions I can’t answer as a player, but he’s looking probably longterm and where he wants to finish out his career and not just next year.”

--You were born in Kansas, but raised in Indiana. Can any other states truly understand the passion that Indiana has for basketball?

“Maybe a few states, but not most of them. Not many states have a basketball rim eon every driveway or the side of their barn or on the side of anything possible that is going to keep it up.”

--What’s the oddest place you saw a basketball rim in Indiana?

“A lot of barns and random farming structures.”



Reader Comments


To post comments on tulsaworld.com, you must be an active Tulsa World print or digital subscriber and signed into your account.


Games People Play

Tulsa World sports writer Jimmie Tramel is a former class president at Locust Grove High School. He graduated magna cum laude from Northeastern State University with a journalism degree and, while attending college, was sports editor of the Pryor Daily Times. He joined the Tulsa World on Oct. 17, 1989, the same day an earthquake struck the World Series. He is the OSU basketball beat writer and a columnist and feature writer during football season. In 2007, he wrote a book about Oklahoma State football with former Cowboy coach Pat Jones.

Follow Jimmie Tramel on Twitter

Subscribe to this blog


Archive

 
Jimmie Tramel's Blog Archive:

2/2013  1/2013  12/2012  11/2012  10/2012  9/2012  
8/2012  7/2012  6/2012  5/2012  4/2012  3/2012  
2/2012  1/2012  12/2011  11/2011  10/2011  9/2011  
8/2011  7/2011  6/2011  5/2011  4/2011  3/2011  
2/2011  1/2011  12/2010  11/2010  10/2010  9/2010  
8/2010  7/2010  6/2010  5/2010  4/2010  3/2010  
2/2010  1/2010  12/2009  11/2009  10/2009  9/2009  
8/2009  7/2009  6/2009  5/2009  4/2009  3/2009  
2/2009  1/2009  12/2008  11/2008  10/2008  9/2008  
8/2008  7/2008  6/2008  5/2008  4/2008  3/2008  
2/2008  1/2008  12/2007  11/2007  10/2007  9/2007  
8/2007  7/2007  6/2007  5/2007  4/2007  3/2007  
2/2007  1/2007  12/2006  11/2006  10/2006  9/2006  
8/2006  





Home | Contact Us | Search | Subscribe | Customer Service | About | Advertise
Copyright © 2013, World Publishing Co. All rights reserved.